Seven arrests made for heroin dealing

WAYNE COUNTY - On Friday, May 2nd, Janine Edwards Wayne County District Attorney announced the success of Operation Spring Clean Up. The Wayne County Drug Task Force, under Edwards' leadership, undertook a two month investigation into the trafficking of heroin and cocaine in Wayne County by various targets. The task force ide...

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News Eagle - Hawley, PA

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Posted May. 5, 2014 at 4:18 PM

Posted May. 5, 2014 at 4:18 PM

WAYNE COUNTY - On Friday, May 2nd, Janine Edwards Wayne County District Attorney announced the success of Operation Spring Clean Up. The Wayne County Drug Task Force, under Edwards' leadership, undertook a two month investigation into the trafficking of heroin and cocaine in Wayne County by various targets. The task force identified seven targets to take down in Wayne County who were selling heroin regularly and in large amounts to various individuals.

Two are listed from Hawley; two from Honesdale; two from Lake Ariel and one defendant is from Waymart.

Edwards said "These identified drug dealers posed a threat to our community and swift and succinct action was required by the task force to take them off the street."

Arrested in the operation were the following individuals:

1) Angela Lewandowski, Lake Ariel: Two counts of felony Delivery of a Controlled Substance; Two counts of felony 3rd degree Criminal Use of Communication Device; Two counts of misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance; Lewandowski allegedly delivered heroin on two occasions to a confidential informant and said heroin is believed to have been mixed with Fentanyl;

2) Kristofer Corey, Lake Ariel: One count of felony Delivery of Controlled Substance; One count of felony Criminal Use of Communication Device; Two counts of misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance; One count of misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Corey allegedly delivered heroin believed to have been mixed with Fentanyl to a confidential informant;

3) Candace Frisbie, Hawley: Two counts of felony Delivery of Controlled Substance; Two counts of felony Criminal Use of Communication Device; Two counts of misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance; Frisbie allegedly sold cocaine on two occasions to a confidential informant;

4) Gavin Vanwyckhouse, Hawley: Two counts of felony Delivery of Controlled Substance; Two counts of misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance; Vanwyckhouse allegedly sold a total of 66 bags of heroin on two occasions in controlled purchases;

5) Roseann Caridad, Waymart: Two counts of felony Delivery of Controlled Substance; Two counts of felony Criminal Use of Communication Device; Two counts of misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance: Caridad allegedly sold heroin two times to a confidential informant;

6) Curtis Jaggars, Honesdale: Two counts of felony Delivery of Controlled Substance; Two counts of felony Criminal Use of Communication Device; Two counts of misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance; Jaggars allegedly sold heroin to a confidential informant on two occasions;

7) Joseph Paul, Honesdale: One count of felony Delivery of Controlled Substance; One count of misdemeanor Possession of Controlled Substance; One delivery of heroin; Paul allegedly sold heroin to a confidential informant on one occasion;

All of the above face felony drug delivery charges. One count of felony Drug Delivery of heroin carries with it a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison and one count of Drug Delivery of cocaine can result in up to 10 years in prison. Each of the targets actively and regularly sold drugs, Edwards alleged. The targets sold drugs in Waymart, Hawley and Honesdale areas.

Page 2 of 2 - District Attorney Edwards said "Operation Spring Clean Up was an effort undertaken solely by the Wayne County Drug Task Force to effectively identify, catch and arrest known drug dealers in our community. Intelligence, preparation and persistence went into the investigations into each of the seven targets.

"The Wayne County District Attorney's Drug Task Force will not sit idly by and let sales of dangerous drugs occur in Wayne County. This task force is fully dedicated and committed to our purpose and we intend to use all resources possible to fight this fight. I am grateful to the law enforcement officers of Honesdale and Hawley Boroughs and the Wayne County Sheriff's Department for your assistance in this operation today and your continued involvement on the Drug Task Force team."

Caridad, Frisbie, Jaggers and Paul were all arrested by the task force utilizing two separate teams of law enforcement officers in an operations plan early Friday morning and all four were arraigned before Magisterial Judge Ted Mikulak, bail set for each at $50,000.00. Central Court Appearances for Caridad, Frisbie, Jaggers and Paul are scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. at the Wayne County Courthouse. Lewandowski and Corey were arrested by the task force in April and all have had their criminal charges bound over to the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas. VanWyckhouse was arrested and charged in March 2014 and awaits his preliminary hearing.

The filing of criminal charges in not evidence of guilt but simply a description of the charge made by the Commonwealth against a defendant. A charged defendant is presumed innocent until a jury returns a unanimous finding that the Commonwealth has proven the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt or until the defendant enters a guilty plea to the charges.